The present invention relates to polymer particles being useful for treatment of fiber, a fiber-treating agent comprising the polymer particles, fiber having the polymer particles being present on the surface thereof and a method of treating fiber by the polymer particles.
In recent years, special processing contributing to very comfortable human health, such as deodorizing processing and antimicrobial deodorizing processing, is conducted in the field of fiber materials such as clothing and bedding being in direct contact with the human body.
On the other hand, hydrophobic protecting agents for skin- and/or hair, particularly ceramide, are excellent in the effect of improvement and/or treatment of skin and hair, so these protecting agents have been used in the field of cosmetics, but it is difficult to use these hydrophobic protecting agents in aqueous processing. Even if the protecting agents are used in treatment of fibers, they hardly remain on fibers in an amount enough to achieve a sufficient effect and the resulting fibers are poor in washing durability.
JP-A 6-322670 shows a process for processing fiber or textile with an inclusion compound of squalane or squalene in cyclodextrin.
JP-A 2-300301 shows fabric having thereon a humectant such as squalane, squalene, an alkyl myristate, miglyol, porcelain oil, xc3xa3-oxanol, bee wax and lanolin or microcapsules thereof.
JP-A 11-286574, equivalent to US patent application Ser. No. 463415 or EP-A 1002810, shows a polymer emulsion including the polymer composed of the shell comprising a polymer of chitosan and a vinyl organic acid or a salt thereof and the core comprising a polymer of a hydrophobic monomer.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide polymer particles being capable of stably maintaining these hydrophobic protecting agents for skin- and/or hair and a method of treating fiber with the polymer particles.
The invention provides polymer particles having a volume average particle diameter of 0.001 to 30 xcexcm, which satisfy at least one of conditions (A) and (B):
Condition (A) where the polymer particles comprise chitosan and a polymer (a) of an organic acid having a reactive vinyl group and/or of a salt thereof as the membrane wall and a hydrophobic protecting agent for skin and/or hair (referred to hereinafter as the protecting agent) (b) as the core material;
Condition (B) where the polymer particles comprise an organic high-molecular polymer (c) as the membrane wall and at least one member selected from the group consisting of:
(I) ceramide and/or structural analogues of ceramide and
(II) C24-44 dialkyl ethers.
It is preferable that the polymer particles comprise chitosan and a polymer (a) of an organic acid having a reactive vinyl group and/or of a salt thereof as the membrane wall and the protecting agent (b) and a polymer (d) of a hydrophobic monomer as the core material.
The invention moreover provides a method of treating fiber, which comprises bringing the polymer particles as defined above into contact with the fiber.
The invention provides a fiber product having the polymer particles as defined above continuously or discontinuously on the surface thereof.
The polymer particles may further comprise a polymer (d) of hydrophobic monomers.
Further, the present invention provides a fiber-treating agent comprising said polymer particles.